The County of Simcoe has welcomed Chartright Air Group Fixed-Base Operator Services to the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport (LSRA).
LSRA is "perfectly situated between the tranquility of cottage country and the bustle of Toronto," the county says in a news release. "Aircraft based at the LSRA benefit from the convenience and relaxed pace of a regional airport serving both the city and the cottage and visiting aircraft have ready access to the remarkable diversity of towns and villages, lakes and rivers, dining and entertainment that the area has to offer."
Lake Simcoe Regional Airport is located in Oro-Medonte Township, halfway between Barrie and Orillia.
The addition of Chartright Air Group as a fixed base operator (FBO) enables the LSRA to offer a full suite of passenger and aircraft handling services, including baggage handling, on-site customs, complete line service, aircraft cleaning, fuelling, de-icing, hangar use, aircraft parking, catering, hotel, and car rental co-ordination. Chartright will also operate a full-service aircraft maintenance organization with a focus on turbine/jet aircraft.
The county anticipates that a full-service FBO, notably one of Canada’s largest operators of private jet aircraft, will act as a catalyst for future investment at the airport.
Chartright’s 34,000-square-foot FBO and hangar facility at the LSRA includes a lobby, passenger and crew lounges, pilot "snooze rooms," a meeting room, and weather and flight-planning facilities, which is able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of the Global 7500.
The County of Simcoe, along with minority shareholders the City of Barrie, continue their planned investments of more than $60 million into service and infrastructure enhancements at the LSRA. Once completed, the county says the airport will provide critical connectivity to markets and knowledge-based resources to encourage investment, create new opportunities for local businesses and tourism operators, while also improving the quality of life for residents.
“Lake Simcoe Regional Airport is one of Canada’s newest and best-positioned regional airport facilities and will enable Chartright to better serve the needs of our customers and the aviation community," Chartright Air Group president Adam Keller said in a news release.
Simcoe County Warden George Cornell was excited to welcome Chartright Air Group to the local airport.
"When we became the majority shareholder in the airport in 2020, county council committed to ensuring that the airport would soon become an economic engine for our region," he said in the release. "With a growing business park, new labour opportunities, partnerships and expansion of our infrastructure, we’re truly seeing our investments take flight."
“Through continued investment, combined with strong partners like Chartright Air Group, we know that our vision to have the LSRA fuel our regional economy is on the right path," said county councillor Richard Norcross, who is also chair of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport board.
The LSRA is fully serviced by the Canada Border Services Agency and accommodates both international passengers and freight. The airport currently possesses 58 hectares (142 acres) of serviced and unserviced land available for airside commercial development opportunities. The LSRA is 90 per cent owned and operated by the County of Simcoe, with the City of Barrie maintaining a 10 per cent share of ownership. Visit www.lakesimcoeairport.com for more information.
